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With competition films, out-of-competition works, world premieres, and restored classics, from August 27 to September 6, 2025, the Lido of Venice will once again become the world stage of cinema thanks to the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, organized by La Biennale di Venezia and directed by film critic Alberto Barbera.
La Grazia by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, will open the competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, August 27. The film will premiere in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema.
In total, 21 films will compete for the Golden Lion, joined by around 30 out-of-competition works. Among the contenders for the prestigious award are The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assayas; Jay Kelly by Noah Baumbach; A House of Dynamite by Kathryn Bigelow; Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro; Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos; Father Mother Sister Brother, the episodic film by Jim Jarmusch; No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook; Elisa by Leonardo Di Costanzo; and L'étranger, an adaptation of Camus's The Stranger, directed by François Ozon.
On August 26, the pre-opening will feature a special double screening in Sala Darsena. At 6 p.m., Origin, the Venetian Lagoon, a documentary by acclaimed filmmaker and photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, will be presented, followed by a conversation with Biennale Cinema Artistic Director Alberto Barbera and Biennale Architettura Curator Carlo Ratti. At 9 p.m., a newly restored version of Queen Kelly (1929), Erich von Stroheim's unfinished masterpiece starring Gloria Swanson, will be screened.
The Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to German director and screenwriter Werner Herzog and American actress Kim Novak during the festival's opening ceremony on Wednesday, August 27.
The Golden Lion for Best Film will be revealed on Saturday, September 6, during the festival's closing night, along with other Prizes, among which the Silver Lion and the Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film. Italian actress Emanuela Fanelli will host both the opening and closing ceremonies.
This year's festival marks Julia Roberts' first appearance at the Lido, starring in Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt, screened out of competition. Among the many stars expected on the red carpet are George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Jude Law, Oscar Isaac, Amanda Seyfried, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Laura Dern, Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Adam Sandler.
The 2025 edition includes, as usual, Venice Classics, presenting 19 newly restored masterpieces from archives, institutions, and productions worldwide. Alongside it, Orizzonti will spotlight experimental and innovative cinema. The section will feature 19 feature films and 15 shorts, including a special tribute to the A Wave in the Ocean film school, founded in 2022 in Wellington, New Zealand, and directed by two-time Oscar winner Jane Campion.
Other festival highlights include Venice Immersive, the XR (Extended Reality) section held on the Venice Immersive Island (Lazzaretto Vecchio), and the 13th edition of Biennale College – Cinema, the advanced training program for low-budget filmmaking.
A new addition for 2025 is Venice Spotlight, showcasing films with strong cultural and social impact, distinguished by innovation and creative originality.
Masterclasses and Conversations will also return, hosted at the Match Point Arena at the Tennis Club Venezia. Participants include Lifetime Achievement honorees Kim Novak and Werner Herzog, alongside Jane Campion, Sergio Castellitto, Sofia Coppola, Alfonso Cuarón, Cristian Mungiu, Tsai Ming-liang, and Jia Zhang-ke.
The Palazzo del Cinema, inaugurated on August 10, 1937, is the festival's main venue. The very first edition in 1932 took place on the terrace of the iconic Hotel Excelsior, a Moorish-inspired landmark on the lagoon that continues to host international stars during the festival.
It is here that La Terrazza by Atlas Concorde will be inaugurated: an exclusive space designed by Park architecture studio as a meeting point for filmmakers, actors, creatives, and industry professionals. The installation, featuring Atlas Plan ceramic slabs, Artemide's Takku lamps, Modulnova kitchens, and Fast seating, celebrates the deep bond between cinema and architecture.
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